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Multidisciplinary assessment at triage: a new way forward
Joanna R Richardson1, George Braitberg, Michael J Yeoh
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Emergency Medicine Australasia : EMA
|July 9, 2004
Summary
A dual doctor and nurse triage system significantly improved patient waiting times and reduced the number of patients leaving before seeing a doctor. Staff also reported high satisfaction with this multidisciplinary approach.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Tertiary referral hospitals face challenges with patient flow and waiting times.
- Standard triage systems may not always optimize patient assessment and throughput.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a dual doctor and nurse multidisciplinary triage system.
- To assess the impact of this system on patient waiting times and staff satisfaction.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of patient data between multidisciplinary and standard triage periods.
- Comparison between rostered multidisciplinary and non-multidisciplinary triage shifts.
- Staff satisfaction surveys were conducted.
Main Results:
- Improved adherence to Australasian Triage Scale thresholds for Category 2 (75% to 81%) and Category 3 (56% to 78%) patients.
- A 50% reduction in patients leaving without being seen by a doctor.
- High levels of staff satisfaction with the multidisciplinary triage process.
Conclusions:
- Multidisciplinary triage effectively reduces waiting times in emergency departments.
- The system is well-accepted by staff and ensures senior doctor involvement.
- It offers a solution for managing access blockages in busy departments.